Canberra18.8 Non-allocated extractions to users

Supporting Information

This line item consists of the metered licensed groundwater extractions in the Canberra region. Data were not available for the New South Wales (NSW) portion of the Canberra region. The volume reported for the 2011 Account was 335 ML.

Quantification Approach

Data Source

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water: Water Resources Unit, Water Resource Information Database.

Provided by

ACT Government Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water.

Method

In the ACT, individual licensees submit meter readings for each month to the ACT Environment Protection Authority (EPA) once per year. Where a licensee has not provided meter data, the EPA may assume use is 100% of entitlement or they may estimate the use.

Assumptions, Limitations, Caveats and Approximations

The lack of metered licensed extraction data from the NSW portion of the Canberra region has resulted in an underestimation of this line item. The overall volume of the NSW extractions is not material to the National Water Account.

Uncertainty Information

Derived from measured data. Meters are required to be accurate to the kilolitre (kL) +/– 5%. More than 60% of meters are inspected each year to validate the readings supplied by licensees.

Estimated uncertainty is +/– 5%.

Comparative year

This line item corresponds to line item 16.4.2 Groundwater extraction – other lumped basic rights reported in the 2010 Account.